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0:00:03 > 0:00:06- A revolution took place in Wales - in the 20th Century.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09- In the countryside - and the big towns...
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- ..the lives of thousands of Welsh - people were transformed...
0:00:14 > 0:00:18- ..by political, economic - and technological changes.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23- The traditional Welsh way of life - ended and a new one was born.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27- Witness to it all were the - BBC's reporters and film crews.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- The fruit of their labours can be - seen in thousands of film cans.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- Many haven't been opened since - the day they were broadcast.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- I'm going to share some of the best - from this lost era with you.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- The films, the stories, - the characters...
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- ..that, between them, - record our nation's history.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- At the start of - the 20th Century...
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- ..life in rural Wales hadn't - really changed for centuries.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- This was a country of small - Welsh speaking communities...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- ..farming for a living.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16- People depended - on their square mile...
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- ..for their daily needs.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32- Dafydd Edwardes is a farmer - in Penuwch, Cardiganshire.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36- He remembers a verse written - by one of the area's poets...
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- ..that describes - the area perfectly.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43- An old mountainous land - That's close to the stars.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- Without trees growing apples, - figs nor pears.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- It's hard to believe...
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- ..while talking and watching him - walk around...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- ..that Dafydd Edwardes - is over 70 years old.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- He's full of energy.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03- I was raised under the old order.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08- We did everything the old way - when everything was homemade.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13- Peat and nothing else is burned - on the fire in Tanffynon.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- There's plenty to be had - on the farm's wet land.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- May is the best month to cut peat.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23- There's growth in the land.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28- When there's growth in the - marshland, in the peat...
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- ..the smell is stronger and - the peat itself is stronger.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- It takes me about three days - to cut enough peat...
0:02:36 > 0:02:38- ..to last me the whole year.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- If we have nice weather it will - take three weeks to dry out.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49- If it's normal weather - it will take about a month.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55- They have to be dried out before - you move them from the marshland.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58- A peat fire is splendid.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- The life of a farmer could be - lonely at times...
0:03:09 > 0:03:13- ..but he could depend on his - neighbours for help...
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- ..at the busiest times of the year.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- Even by the mechanical era - of the 1960s...
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- ..the old community customs - were still alive.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- An old tradition is 'cymortha' - when a farmer helps a farmer.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- That was a matter of necessity - in many areas...
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- ..for many centuries - before the age of machinery dawn.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- It has continued in two areas - up until now -
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- Shearing and threshing.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- There would be no way of completing - the threshing here...
0:03:48 > 0:03:52- ..without the 'cymortha'. They've - come from far and wide to help.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- On the haystack is John Williams, - Cwm Coryn, Llanaelhaearn...
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- ..and Richard Lewis, Cefn Hirwaun, - Rhoshirawun.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- On the thresher itself - is John Davies, Ty Newydd...
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- ..and Rheon Owen from Tynlon Fawr, - Llangybi.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- One feeds the thresher - while the other unties the sheaf.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Working with the hay - that leaves the thresher...
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- ..is less of a problem - that it used to be.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Today, it's a matter of feeding - the baler and moving bales...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- ..when they're ready.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30- The other side is the most - important side for the farmer.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- It's where the grain is poured - into the sacks.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41- Will these scenes in rural Wales - survive for much longer?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- Not for much longer it seems.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- The combine harvester is used - more and more these days.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- It's time now for another - tradition, threshing tea.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- There isn't much call for a - threshing dinner these days.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Threshing tends to begin - in the early afternoon.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- But we'll go in to wait for them - to come in for tea.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- Do you think something's lost...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- ..because fewer farmers - help each other?
0:05:44 > 0:05:49- Well, you lose a close community - and a neighbourhood.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- Is that a big loss?
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- Well...
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- It's a loss of identity really.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- You can live on a farm...
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- ..and a farmer who is three or four - farms away from you...
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- ..has been there for six months - and you don't even know him.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- Technology didn't touch some - aspects of rural life...
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- ..such as the work of the shepherd - in Cwm Prysor.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- This is my home.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- I know every mound and rock...
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- ..even when they're - covered in snow.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- About three miles above me - is Llyn Tryweryn...
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- ..and about three miles below me - is the Traswfynydd power station.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- But despite the modern - developments...
0:06:49 > 0:06:54- ..they haven't affected the way - Bryn Celynnog is farmed at all.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01- The old traditional way is still - used on Cwm Prysor's mountains.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- You won't hear your mother - call to you again.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- But your skin will be useful to - help your mother take to another.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- I've got an orphaned lamb - near the house.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- I'll put your skin over that one...
0:07:29 > 0:07:31- ..to trick her with the smell.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- I'll cut it on the legs.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- I'll take the skin off now.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31- Hold him.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34- I'll put this on him.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- It's a bit too big for him.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41- I'll stuff his legs in.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- I'll take him to her now.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- There you go.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Now then, old thing.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- You've got a little lamb now.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- There you go.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- You have to suckle now.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- It's alright. - She'll take him, Jack.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- Although the life of a shepherd - in Cwm Prysor was unchanging...
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- ..there were changes afoot in other - parts on Wales in the '60s.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- Thanks to higher wages, more could - afford to buy a car...
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- ..and the flow back and forth - from the countryside grew.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- Miss Nerys Hughes represents a - generation who turn to the town...
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- ..for their livelihood, - Caernarfon in this case.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Others travel to the shops or - factories on the town's outskirts.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- Nant Peris is a village - where you sleep.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- This is usually the first step - before a population...
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- ..leaves the area entirely in - order to live nearer to work.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- But every time a local person - leaves...
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- ..other people, different people, - take their place.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- Some come here to live, such as - Miss Galloway, the English artist.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- Others just come here to enjoy the - area at its best during the summer.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- Almost all of them are English - and they don't like everyone...
0:10:15 > 0:10:16- ..who come here to visit.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- I'm inclined to think - if they're not careful...
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- ..they'll lose the tourist industry - because they'll spoil the places...
0:10:24 > 0:10:25- ..tourists want to go to.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- ..tourists want to go to.- - In what way will they spoil them?
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- By bringing too many people - because in these mountains...
0:10:31 > 0:10:35- ..people really want to get away - and have peace and quiet.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40- If they set up too many garages, - tea shops, hotels and everything...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- ..people, I don't think, - will be interested in coming.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- Do you think, by and large, the - wrong type of people come here?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- I don't think the wrong type of - people stay in the village.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- I think they mostly pass through - in cars or in coaches...
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- ..and some of the climbers, - admittedly, are the wrong type...
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- ..but you expect - a mixture anywhere.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- But I do think the wrong type - tend to leave the mess about...
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- ..which of course we people - who live here object to.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- Many of the old houses in the area - are bought by climbing clubs...
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- ..from all over the country.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- With good weather, climbing in - Snowdonia is a cheap holiday...
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- ..without much profit - for the locals.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- The climbing huts, old houses - bought by the clubs...
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- ..cuts the cost for the climbers - themselves.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- There are about 100 of them - in Snowdonia...
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- ..with sharp eyes reading the - papers every time a house is empty.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- House prices will rise and rise and - before long, the time will come...
0:11:42 > 0:11:46- when Snowdonia's biggest treasures - will be its small-holdings.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53- Within a few years the two-way - traffic in and out of areas...
0:11:53 > 0:11:58- ..such as Snowdonia would change - the character of rural Wales.
0:11:59 > 0:11:59- .
0:12:05 > 0:12:05- Subtitles
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:12:10 > 0:12:15- For centuries, agriculture was - rural Wales' bread and butter.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- But by the 1970s - changes were afoot.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Some farmers saw an opportunity - to take advantage...
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- ..of a new generation from the - city who were discovering...
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- ..the pleasures of the countryside.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- A stunning location. Opportunities - for sightseeing are endless.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- Wandering the countryside, - swimming, horse riding...
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- ..are all based on 800 acres - of land in Pembrokeshire.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- It's called Pant y Deri...
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- ..and it was opened to - visitors two years ago.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- It isn't a manor house - but a working farm.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- As well as hosting - 30 visitors at a time...
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- ..it also looks after 300 sheep, - 80 cows with calf...
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- ..and the same number - of dairy cows.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- There's been an increase - in the number of people...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- ..who choose to holiday - on Welsh farms.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17- People come to Welsh farms and - they love seeing the cattle...
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- ..seeing the hens and sheep - and so on.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25- It's a package, to use a - modern term in tourism...
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- ..it's an attractive package.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- It's difficult to know whether - farmers have turned...
0:13:31 > 0:13:35- ..to the unfamiliar work - of welcoming guests...
0:13:35 > 0:13:37- ..through choice or necessity.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- I don't think I would have decided - to do this...
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- ..if it wasn't for the way - things are going.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- We have to do something - as a livelihood...
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- ..and this place is suitable - for such a venture.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- There's an opportunity - to do a lot with it.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- But Wales' countryside wasn't just - attractive for families...
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- ..who wanted a taste - of farm life...
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- ..but also to people who - longed for a different way of life.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- These aren't Sioux or Cherokee - but a group of young people...
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- ..who've decided to leave the - monotony of urban life...
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- ..and have come here to live - self-sufficiently in a tipi.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- One of these men bought 40 acres - of land about 18 months ago.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56- He intended to live off the land - and sleep under the stars.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- But there's an estate - of tipis here now.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- Many of the group have travelled - abroad and in Britain...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- ..but have settled in Cwmann - near Lampeter.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- Every one of them has similar - reasons for living like this.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- They're tired of the rush - and monotony of town life.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- But why live in a tipi?
0:15:17 > 0:15:22- They are easy to make - and suit their way of life.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- Every tipi has its own character - even its own smell.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- The young man who lives here...
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- ..intends to sell the leather shoes - he makes in local markets.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- The same with these candles.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Cows are too expensive to buy - at the moment...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- ..but the goats give enough milk - for their everyday needs.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56- Some newcomers were happy to live - a temporary life under canvas.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- But others, who turned their backs - on English cities...
0:16:00 > 0:16:04- ..saw the benefit from rooting - themselves deeper...
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- ..in their new community.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Canterbury is a busy place.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12- There are a lot of cars and people - around.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- It isn't very healthy, it's just - like every other town.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- But here in Cwmtwrch...
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- ..it's healthier and quiet.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- You see a lot more of nature.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Esther Horde is 11 years old.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- You'd argue that she's as much part - of the area...
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- ..as her neighbours in Cwmtwrch.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- This is her home - Wern Feudwy.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- It's an old farmhouse - that's seen better days...
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- ..but is being restored.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- Jeremiah Horde, her father, is a - landscape and portrait artist...
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- ..who used to teach anatomy - and illustration part-time...
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- ..at Camberwell College, London.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- He moved his family to Wales - six years ago...
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- ..and Wern Feudwy is their home and - centre for his small business...
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- ..Lluniau Cymreig.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- This is truly a family business - with everyone helping out.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- But this family is an exception.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- They have decided to be part of the - valley's tightknit community...
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- ..and have integrated - into the community.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Unlike many of the other families - from England...
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- ..Welsh is spoken at Waun Feudwy.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- How long did it take you - to learn Welsh?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- In the classes, three winters.
0:17:34 > 0:17:40- But I have to listen and hear - the language...
0:17:40 > 0:17:42- ..at every opportunity.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- I am very proud...
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- ..to have the opportunity to speak - with Welsh people.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- But not everyone made the effort - to integrate themselves...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- ..into the Welsh rural community.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- As a result, that changed the - nature of that community.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- If you've ever considered Dolgellau - as a Welsh area...
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- ..maybe it's time you reconsidered.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- Over the last few weeks - it's become apparent...
0:18:20 > 0:18:25- ..that something's not right and - the area has become Anglicised.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- On the face of it, - Dolgellau is a Welsh town.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- Notice the name of the shops - and evidence shows...
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- ..businesses priding themselves - on their Welshness.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- But you can get the best picture of - the linguistic situation...
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- ..of every area - at the local school.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- One non-Welsh speaker enrols - at Ysgol y Gader every two weeks.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- Last week, we read a piece - about Twm Sion Cati.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- This is the first year's - Welsh class.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- These children are a minority - in the school.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- At one time, the children - all spoke Welsh...
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- ..with an English atmosphere to - the school. Now, it's the opposite.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- The teachers are Welsh with the - pupils speaking English.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- The majority of them are people - who have been here on holiday...
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- ..every summer with most of them - living in the Midlands.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- They decide to buy houses here - and establish themselves here.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27- The area's unmistakeable beauty is - attracting the new population.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- You can't blame anyone for wanting - to live here.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- But the character of villages like - Friog, Bontddu and Brithdir...
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- ..changes quickly these days.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- # Do you remember - this little village?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- # Everyone spoke Welsh
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- # Only five years ago
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- # Then the jobs were scarce
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- # And the Welsh had to move away
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- # And the foreign thieves - replaced them
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- # Come away with me
0:20:14 > 0:20:19- # Let's return to our homeland... #
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- Some campaigners avidly protected - those rural communities...
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- ..that, in their eyes, were the - heartlands of the Welsh language...
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- ..and culture.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- # We'll go back to the west.. #
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- At the start of the summer...
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- ..a few weeks before Bro Dwyfor - Eisteddfod some local people...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- ..noticed Y Fro Gymraeg's road - signs, Mudiad Adfer's campaign.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- Adfer developed to improve life in - the villages of West Wales...
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- ..by renovating old houses and - selling them to Welsh speakers.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- According to Adfer, Y Fro Gymraeg - should include...
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- ..Anglesey, Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirion, - Ceredigion, Preseli...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- ..Carmarthen, Dinfewr, Glyndwr - and Montgomeryshire.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- A Welsh education - system is expected...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- ..Welsh administration - for local authorities...
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- ..as well as a special policy from - the UK Government or Cardiff.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- We should return from exile - in the English cities...
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- ..and settle in Y Fro Gymraeg.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- We will have to live entirely - through the Welsh language.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- We'll have to shut out the - English language completely.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- Not just stop speaking it.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40- A Welshman isn't free if he has - to watch hours of English TV.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- You have to ask yourselves, - is this an English surname?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- Are these English clothes?
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- Are these English morals - and traditions?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- If so, they aren't good enough - for Y Fro Gymraeg citizen.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- The more I thought about the idea - of Y Fro Gymraeg...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- ..the more I rejected it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- I don't want to live - in a monkey cage...
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- ..or feel I'm being jailed - in any way.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- I think restricting a nation and - looking inward to an area...
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- ...called Y Fro Gymraeg - is destructive.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- But by the end of the 1970s...
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- ..so much was the concern over the - crisis of Welsh rural areas...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- ..some turned to more - fiery tactics...
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- ..such as Meibion Glyndwr's - campaign to burn down second homes.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- The house at Mynydd Llwydiarth - between Llanddona and Pentraeth...
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- ..on Anglesey was set alight - during the night or early morning.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43- Pant-y-Bwlch is a three bedroomed - house and was still smouldering...
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- ..when we arrived.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- The house is owned by Mr Bob Dew - from Bury St Edmonds.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- They don't come here often because - according to Mr Dew...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- ..it's expensive to - travel 300 miles.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- Their daughter, Jane, is at Bangor - University and she comes regularly.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- Children from a local farm saw the - fire as they fed their horses.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13- Within a few decades, rural Wales - had turned into a battlefield.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Several of its characteristics - and traditions...
0:23:17 > 0:23:22- ..are nothing but memories - on film strips.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- S4C subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:23:44 > 0:23:45- .